Combined tablet container and crusher



Dec. 13, 1955 A. c. BRANTLEY 2,726,816

COMBINED TABLET CONTAINER AND cRusHER Filed Feb. 12, 1951 2,726,816 IC Patented Dec. 13, 1955 CONIBINED TABLET CONTAINER AND CRUSHER Aubrey C. Brantley, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 12, 1951, Serial No. 210,603

3 Claims. (Cl. 241-101) This invention relates to tablet crushers, and more particularly to a novel device combining a container for tablets, wafers, lozenges and the like, and means for breaking and crushing such articles, to facilitate their being dissolved in water or other liquid, or utilized for any other purpose where breaking and crushing such articles is desirable.

The general object of the invention is to provide a device of the character stated, in which the container for the tablets and the like is normally closed by a cap which may be removed for removing said articles from the container, whereby said cap may be used as a mortar and the container may be used as a pestle for breaking and crushing said articles.

Another object is to provide a device as above stated in which a tablet or like article may be placed in the container cap and broken and crushed in the cap against the closed end of the container.

A more particular object is to provide a device as above described in which the closed end of the container and also the cap are concaved and formed with protru- "sions and indentations to facilitate the breaking and crushing action of the device.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter as the speciiication progresses.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter more particularly described in the speciication and pointed out in the claims.

The invention s illustrated in the annexed drawing, which forms a part of this specification and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of my invention partly broken away and detached to show certain novel features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, shown partly in elevation and partly in section, of the lower end portion of my invention, as shown in Figure l, showing a tablet in position to be broken and crushed between the lower end of the container and the container cap.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modification of my invention shown partly broken away to show certain novel features of my invention.

Figure 4 is a view, shown partly in elevation and partly in section, of the lower end portion of the modification of my invention shown in Figure 3, showing the crushing parts of the device in crushing position for crushing a tablet.

Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in elevation and partly in section of another modification of my invention, showing the cap in its normal position closing the mouth of the container.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation of the upper end portion of the moditication of my invention shown in Figure 5, showing a tablet in position in the cap over the mouth of the container for breaking and crushing said tablet.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of the cap of another modication of my invention.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section of the cap of the modication of my invention shown in Figure 7, taken on line 8 8 of said Figure 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals in all of the views, my invention, as shown in Figures l and 2, includes primarily a container 1 and a cap 2 for closing the mouth 3 at the upper end of said container.

The upper end portion of the container 1 is formed with an external thread 4 to be engaged by an internal thread 5 in the annular wall 6 of the cap 2 depending from the upper end wall 7 of said cap, whereby said cap 2 is threaded on the upper end of the container over the mouth thereof for closing said end of said container. In the cap 2 is itted a disc liner 8 against the inner side of the end wall 7 of said cap, which disc liner is clamped upon the upper end of the mouth 3 of the container 1 by the cap end wall 17, when the cap 2 is screwed tightly on the upper end of the container, whereby the mouth 3 of the container is closed air-tight by the cap, as shown in Figure l of the drawing.

The container 1 may be in the form of an elongated cylindrical bottle closed at its lower end by an inwardly concaved end wall 9, and open at its upper end to provide the mouth 3. The outer side of the lower end wall 9 is formed with a plurality of downwardly extending protrusions 10 for the purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The lower end portion 11 of the container 1 is formed with an external thread 12 to be engaged by the internal thread 5 in the cylindrical wall 6 of the cap 2, whereby said cap may be threaded on the lower end portion 11 of the container, for the purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The container 1 may be illed with tablets 13, wafers, lozenges, or the like through the mouth 13 of the container, with the cap 2 removed from the upper end of the container. by screwing the cap 2 on the upper end of the container over the mouth 3 thereof, as shown in Figure l of the drawing.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention are as follows:

When it is desired to dissolve a tablet 13 quickly in water or other liquid for drinking a solution of the tablet, the cap 2 is irst unscrewed from the upper end of the container 1 and the container is turned downward, so that the uppermost tablet 13 in the container will drop out of the container through the mouth thereof into ones hand; the removed tablet is then placed within the removed cap, with cap in an inverted position, and the cap is then placed over the lower end 11 of the container 1 and turned, so that the cap thread 5 engages the thread 12 on the lower end of the container and forces the cap and the tablet therein upward on said end of the container, whereby the tablet 13 in the cap is broken by its engagement with the protrusions 10 on the lower side of the lower wall 9, and the tablet is crushed between the end wall 7 and lining of the cap 2 and the lower end wall 9 of the container 1 as shown' in Figure 2 of the drawing; and the cap with the crushed tablet therein is unscrewed from the lower end of the container, and the cap is then inverted and the crushed tablet is thereby dropped from the cap into a glass of water in which the crushed tablet is rapidly dissolved for drinking the tablet solution.

In the modication of my invention shown in Figures 3 and 4, the construction and operation thereof are the same as my invention as illustrated in Figures l and 2 of the drawing, without the protrusions 1Q.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, there is no thread 12 on the lower end portion The tablets are retained in the container' Vwhen the cap is screwed on the upper end of the container,

as shown in Figure 5 of the drawing.

. To break and crush a tablet, in the modication of my invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, the cap Z'is rst unscrewed from the `upper end of the mouth 3 of the container 1, leaving the disc 14 resting upon the upper end or" the mouth of said container; said disc 14 is then turned over and placed with its opposite side resting'upon the upper end of the mouthr of the container 1, with the protrusions 15 projecting upwardly from said disc 14, as shown'in Figure 6. A tablet 13 is then placed upon the uppermost Vside of the disc 14, and the cap 2 is then placed over said tablet 13 and turned, so that the cap thread 5- engages the thread 4 on the upper end portion of the container 1, and the cap is drawn down Von the upper end portion of the container, whereby the tablet 13 is engaged and broken by the protrusions 15 on the disc 14 and the tablet is crushed by pressure between the disc liner 8 and upper wall 7 of the cap 2, and

Y the protrusion disc 14.

In the modification of the cap shown in Figures and 8 the end wall -16 of the cap is concave-convex, with its yinnerV side 17 convex and formed with protrusions 18.

Said cap may be placed over the lower Vend portion of the container 1, shown in Figures 3 and 4, and turned, so that the cap thread 5 will engage the container thread 12 and draw the cap upwardly on said lower end portion of the container, whereby a tablet 13, placed betweenttheV inner convex side 17 Vof the end wall 16 of the cap 2 and the lower concaved end wall 9 of the container will be broken by the protrusions 18 and crushed by and between the convex inner side 17 of the end wall 16 of the cap 2 and the lower concaved end wall 9 of the container 1. Y

I claim:

1. A tablet crush'er, including: a tablet container having an open mouth, the lower end of which container has a closed base forming a pestle, said lower end of the container being provided with a peripheral thread, a mortar formed with an internal thread for co-engagement with the peripheral thread of the container, the threaded arrangement forY the container and the mortar being such as to bring the pestle into engagement with the mortar upon turning the same in one direction, whereby a tablet interposed therebetween may be crushed.

2. A tablet Crusher including a tablet container having an open mouth, the lower end of which container has a closed inwardly concaveY base forming a pestle, said lower end of Vthe container provided with a peripheral t thread, and a convex mortar formed with an internal thread for engagement with the peripheral thread of the container, the threaded arrangement for the container and the mortar being such as to bring the concave closed oase of the pestle into engagement with the convex mortar upon turning the mortar in one direction, whereby a tablet interposed vtherebetween may be crushed. n

3. A tablet crusher, including a cylindrical container having a closed base formingra pestle and an open mouth,

the container adapted to hold frangible tablets approximating the internal diameter of the container; the periphery of said container being formed with an external thread extending upwardly from the closed base thereof, an internally threaded mortar normally closing the open mouth of the container and adapted to engage the external thread of said container for the purpose of crushing a frangible tablet interposed between said mortar and pestle when there Vis relative turning movement therebetween, the threaded arrangement being such as to bring .the pestle in co-engagement with the mortar.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Y 217,754 Timby July 22, 1879 392,052 Mitchell Oct. 30, 1888 874,756 French Dec. 24, 1907 1,054,833 Dutton Mar. 4, 1913 2,147,394 Austern et al. Feb. 14, 1939 2,318,911 Zweber May 11, 1943 

